July 22, 2005
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When he finds a pearl of great value,
he goes, sells all that he has and buys it.
Fr. Andres Abel Parra Balderrama
New Parochial Vicar of SJV Parish
by Bruno Martinez
Born on 29 April, 1959, in Chihuahua, México,
to Refugio and Josefina Parra,
Father Andres
Parra
is now in residence and serving as Parochial 
Vicar
at Saint John Vianney Parish. He has a younger sister, Manuela, and a
younger brother José.
Fr. Andres has actually entered the seminary twice. The first time he entered the seminary was at 18 at the Missionario Xaverieros, where he studied for 6 years. He then left the seminary and began a career at Télefono de México, where he worked for twelve years.
After some soul searching and prayer to St. John Vianney, Fr. Andres entered the Seminary again in Guadalajara. After one year there he was invited to visit the Diocese of San José, where he was accepted and sent to study in San Antonio. He was ordained on June 4, 2005, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph.
In his spare time, Fr. Andres likes to tinker with, and fix, mechanical and electrical things, especially cars. He is also an avid reader, recently reading books on marriage and pastoral counseling, moral issues, and how to be an effective priest in the United States.
When asked how he felt about coming to SJV, Fr. Andres said he was stunned that he was assigned to a parish named for the saint to which he had prayed so often. He went on to say, "I feel very welcomed, both by the Hispanic community and English speaking community. This community has a hunger for God. I want to work for them, especially in their spiritual needs. I hope that I can help to foster a community of prayer, and I wish to help them all see the real presence of God with them, and in them."
Welcome and Bienvenido Padre Andres.
Everyone has some talent or skill. This week's Gospel reading talks about finding a pearl of great worth and then devoting everything to that treasure. Everyone has a pearl of great worth. We are each charged with developing and sharing our treasure for the good of each other and to make the world a better place.
What talent or skill from your treasure are you going to share with our parish? One easy, fun way to show off your pearl, and help our parish at the same time, is to donate a service to the Silent Auction at the parish picnic on August 28. Can we count on you?
What service can you offer?
Mowing the lawn? Weeding a garden? Cooking a special dinner? Teaching a
craft? Making a memory book? Babysitting? Driving someone to an appointment?
Help clean out a garage? Swimming lessons?
Some items for auction were listed last week. Click here to see the start of the list. This week, additional items for auction include...
Yummy Jam: Ellen Turner offers five jars of homemade jam: Apricot-Pineapple, Peach with Grand Marnier, Lemon Ginger Marmalade, Orange Marmalade, Plum.
3 X 3: Gustavo Gonzales offers his services, along with his brother and brother-in-law, (three strong, smart men) for three hours of miscellaneous handy man work for someone.
Real Estate Analysis: Gustavo Gonzales, who is a realtor, offers a personal session on how to analyze real estate investments. (2 hour session, includes Excel spreadsheet.)
Real Estate Portfolio Analysis: Gustavo Gonzales, who is a realtor, offers a Real Estate Portfolio Analysis followed by a one hour session explaining the analysis. (Not to exceed 10 properties.)
Adult Swimming Lessons: Ann McEntee, an experienced swim instructor, offers ten 1/2 hour swimming lessons. ($80 value)
What service can you offer?
To offer a service for our Silent Auction, email newsletter@sjvnews.net or phone Ellen Turner at 272-9234. If we all pitch in, we can make that building a reality while learning and sharing with fellow parishioners.
High School Camping Trip:
SJV High School Youth Ministry will be sponsoring a high school youth
Camping Trip to Brannon Island State Recreation Area on August 5-7. The cost
is $20 per person plus you will need to bring a tent, sleeping bag, pillow,
swimsuit, fishing pole, flashlight, towels, etc. Limited space is
available. Leaving Friday, August 5 at noon and returning Sunday, August 7
at 3 PM. The area is hot and windy with good fishing and star gazing.
To sign up, please call David Cortese at 258-7832 x34, or email dcortese@sjvsj.net.
Middle
School ALL NIGHT DANCE:
Attention all Middle School Students - SJV Junior High Youth Ministry is
sponsoring an ALL NIGHT DANCE on Friday, August 5 from 7 PM to 7 AM in the
Main Hall. The person who dances the longest will win tickets to Great
America or Raging Waters! Plus, we will have other activities including a
glow in the dark treasure hunt and pie eating contest. Have fun hanging out
with your friends and meeting new ones. Permission slips are required
and are available on August 5 for your parents to sign as they drop you
off. For more information, please contact David Cortese (his contact
info is in the paragraph above).
A bunch of radical university students
started the St. Vincent de Paul Society. You might not have expected that,
since today in our parish, most 
of
the members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society are retired folks.
In 1833, challenged to practice the Christian principles he espoused, twenty year old student Frederick Ozanam and some other like-minded students formed the Conference of Charity, holding their first meeting in May of 1833. They started with only seven members, but the movement grew to more than a hundred a year later. Ozanam urged the large group to divide into smaller local units in order to serve the poor more effectively. By 1835, the society had its own official rule and a new name: The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Throughout
his life Ozanam's goal was to "become better - to do a little
good." Today more than a million members of the Society in over 130
countries continue to follow his example.
So why is the work done today by retired folks instead of students? That's a new challenge to understand, but there are some reasons. The Society answers the concerns of anyone who calls our parish seeking help. They respond by going out, two by two, to visit the family in need, so they can see for themselves how they can help. Since these home visits are usually done in the daylight hours, folks who are working are not usually available to go. College students, who might find time during the day to go on visits, simply have not heard of the wonderful, challenging opportunities available to them in doing this work. Hopefully, now that you know a little about the St. Vincent de Paul Society, you will help spread the word and more people of all ages will attempt to "become better - to do a little good." That is how we change the world.
Click
here for
more information about the life of Frederick Ozaman. To learn more about the
St. Vincent de Paul Society, click
here. For
information about St. John Vianney's St. Vincent de Paul Society, call
535-0404. The Society meets on the second Thursday of the month, at 7:00 PM,
in the Parish Office Center. New members are always welcome.
We will take up a second collection for our St. Vincent de Paul Society
next Sunday, July 31, which is the fifth Sunday of the month. In addition to
this 
second
collection, we also encourage parish families to bring donations of food and
diapers for families which have been put in a position where necessities are
hard to get.
Items that are most in need include diapers for the little ones and high protein non-perishables for the whole family. Peanut butter, canned meats, rice, beans, and dry cereals are especially useful. Juice boxes for school lunches would also be nice. Don't just empty your pantry of old canned goods you haven't used, but rather make a special shopping list for families who are less fortunate than your own.
Be generous and kind. Remember that Jesus said we will be judged in the end by how we treat the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger amongst us. (MT 25)
St. Ann and St. Joachim: Feast July 26
St. Ann and St. Joachim are the names we use for the parents of the Virgin Mary. These names are not mentioned in the bible, but come down to us from tradition, based on a source written more than a century after Jesus died. They may or may not be the correct names of her parents, but still we know that these people existed, and so we celebrate them on July 26.
St.
Ann is the patroness of all mothers, and especially dear to women in
childbirth. While we don't have any reliable historical information about
these two people, we do know that they raised an exceptional young woman who
was able to accept the challenging invitation of God. As such, they are role
models for all parents.
This is a great day to celebrate grandparents, since St. Ann and St. Joachim were the grandparents of Jesus. It reminds us all of the important influence parents and grandparents have in raising young people to know, love, and serve God and each other. It also can serve to remind young folks to treat their parents and grandparents with respect and to treasure the wisdom that they bring to our lives.
For more information on St. Ann and St. Joachim, visit the web page www.catholic.org/saints.
The San Jose/Milpitas Chapter of Singles for Christ (SFC)
, website at www.sfcsanjose.org,
is presenting a theater production benefiting Gawad Kalinga on Friday, July
29, and Saturday, July 30, 
at
7:00 PM at the Mayer Theatre at Santa Clara University (500 El Camino Real,
Santa Clara, CA). Doors open at 6:15 PM.
"A World Apart" is a story of romance, heartache, abandonment, betrayal and faith. A young man's world is turned upside down when what he thinks is a normal business trip to the Philippines becomes a revelation of his past, present and future. As he visits his family and tours the country he's never seen before, his eyes are opened to the reality of life in the Philippines. The poverty and despair that the poor experience on a daily basis begins to change his heart forever.
Along the way a young woman catches his eye. A budding romance ensues and leads to a whirlwind of experiences, emotions and the revealing of a family secret that changes the course of his life and the life of his family forever. And without knowing it their lives are all connected, even if they are "A World Apart."
Gawad Kalinga (GK) is a community-building movement born from the determination of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans to bring hope to their motherland. The movement seeks to build a new nation, a strong nation, a productive nation, a nation steeped in faith and patriotism. Visit the Gawad Kalinga website, ww
w.gawadkalinga.com, for more information on GK.For more information or to buy tickets, please
click here.
Parish Picnic Shindig!
Sunday, August 28, St. John Vianney Rectory Gardens
Potluck is from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. If you would like to help out, please
contact Pat Garcia at 926-3826, Ann McEntee at 923-5788 or Ray & Ellen
Turner at 272-9234. For details click
here.
The SJV Communication Team is looking for a new name
for the weekly 
parish
email newsletter. Send us your suggestions. The Communication Team will take
all suggestions until August 15. Then we will cull through them and narrow
the selection to a small number. At the parish picnic, on Sunday, August 28,
we will let parishioners vote on their favorite choices. The new name will
be announced in our first anniversary issue, at the start of October. To
submit a name, send an email to newsletter@sjvnews.net.
Family Faith Formation
is offered by St. John Vianney Parish. Registration priority is given to our
own parishioners. Click
here to see the latest revision of "Class Schedule &
Registration Information" for the upcoming catechetical year.
* HELP NEEDED! * Family Faith Formation is seeking individuals who are interested in becoming a Catechist or Catechist aide for grades 1-6. Classes are held on Tuesday evenings, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (grades 3, 4 & 5) or Sunday mornings, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM (grades 1-6). TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED. Please contact 258-7832 x18 for more information. We look forward to hearing from you!
St. John Vianney School is still accepting applications for the 2005-06 school year for Kindergarten and First Grade. Applications can be picked up in the school office Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM or on-line at our school website www.sjvsj.org. For more information you can email mwood@sjvsj.org or contact Co-Principal, Martha Wood at (408) 258-7677.
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This Week:
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 24
Next Week:
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 31
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Praying the Scriptures:
Visit this web site for ideas on praying the Scriptures: www.liturgy.slu.edu |
Take a Moment to Pray:
Visit this web site for ideas on the Ignatius way to pray: www.sacredspace.ie |
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Visit our web site at: www.sjvnews.net